Aerial toy



I May 5, 1931. v BRADY 1,804,244-

AERIAL TO Y Filed March 8, 1930 rad I as

Patented May 5, 1931 PATENT OFFICE VINCENT BRADY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AERIAL TOY Application filed March 8,

This invention relates to aerial toys, and has for one of its objects to provide a toy of this character which shall be adapted to permit an aeronautical device such as a parachute or an airplane to be carried to any desired altitude and then manually released for descent to the ground.

To attain the foregoing and other objects, the nature of which will appear as the description proceeds, theinvention comprehends the provision of a toy which shall embody a captive balloon, and means adapted to releasablyconnect an aeronautical device to the balloon and adapted to be controlled bv the 5} string by which the balloon is held captive in order to permit the aeronautical device to be released when it has been carried by the balloon to the desired altitude.

The invention is hereinafter fully described 3. and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a View in side elevation of the toy embodying a parachute;

Figure 2 is a view partly in side elevation z and partly in vertical section illustrating the means for releasably connecting a parachute or an airplane to the balloon;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of the attaching means and a slightly modified form '30 of the parachute connectingmeans, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the airplane and its connecting means.

The toy comprises a balloon 1 which may be of any well known or appropriate construction and is provided with a neck 2 through which it is inflated. A flexible member or string 3 is secured at its upper end, as at 4, to the neck 2, and is adapted to be used for the purpose of holding the balloon 1 captive.

The string 3 is secured to the neck 2 in a manner to maintain it closed so as to prevent the escape of the gas from the balloon 1. A catch 5 is secured to the neck 2 and provides means by which a parachute or an airplane may be releasably secured to the balloon 1.

The catch 5 comprises spring arms 6 and 7 which are connected at their upper ends, as at 8, and are arranged in downwardly divergent relation. The connection 8 between the arms 6 and 7 is such that the lower ends 1930. Serial No. 434,407.

of the arms constantly tend to move away from each other. The arm 7 is provided at its lower end with an eye 9 and a latch 10 is pivotally connected at one end to the eye for movement into an active and inactive position. lVhen in active position, the latch 10 extends across the lower ends of the arms 6 and 7 and when in an inactive position, the latch extends downwardly from the lower end of the arm 7. The latch 10 is provided between its ends with a slot 11 for the reception of the lower end of the arm 7 when it is in active position. When the latch 10 is in this position, the arms 6 and 7 are under tension, and the arm 6 is held in contact with the outer wall of the slot 11 under sufiicient pressure to maintain the latch in active position under the load of the parachute or airplane. The arms 5 and 6 are connected to a clamp or clip 12 through the medium of the loop 8 formed by their connected ends, the clamp or clip surrounding the neck 2 and being provided with an opening 13 for the reception of the loop 8.

The parachute 14; may be connected to the latch 10 through the medium of an elongated loop 15, as shown in Figure l or through the medium of a ring 15a, as shown in Figure 3, and it may be provided with a trapeze to which a figure 17 representing a ba-lloonist is pivotally connected. The airplane 18 is provided with a flexible member 19 through the medium of which it may be secured to the latch 10, and such member is provided with a loop 19a for the reception of the latch.

The upper end portion of the string 3 is looped, as at 20, and is maintained in this formation by an elastic member 21 which is secured at its ends, as at 22, to the ends of the loop 20. A clip 23 which is secured to the flexible member 3 immediately below the loop 20, is secured to the free end of the latch 10 by a flexible member 24. The clip 23 may be held in place upon the flexible member 3 by any suitable means such for instance as knots 25 formed in the flexible member.

- In practice, the balloon l is inflated with any desired gas, and thereafter its neck 2 is closed to prevent the escape of the gas there 'from. The neck 2 is held closed by tying the upper end of the flexible member 3 around the same, and after this has been done, the catch 5 is secured to the neck by its clip 12. The aeronautical device which may be in the form of a parachute or balloon is then engaged with the latch 10 through the medium of its connecting member and thereafter the latch is swung into active position, in which position it is secured by the arm 7 of the catch 5.

The balloon is now permitted to carry the aeronautical device to a desired altitude. hen this point is reached, a downward pull is applied to the flexible member 3 in order to move the clip 23 downwardly with respect to the catch 5, such movement of the clip being permitted by the elastic element 21 and carrying the latch 10 into inactive position. The movement of the latch 10 into this position releases the aeronautical device which -ue scends to the ground.

lVhile I have described the principle of the invention, together with the structure which I now consider the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that the structure shown is merely illustrative and that such chan es may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim 1- 1. A toy comprising a balloon, a member for holding the balloon captive, an aeronautical device, a catch connected to the balloon and embodying spring members, a latch pivotally connected with one of said catch members and releasably engaged with the other, means carried by the aeronautical device and releasably held in engagement With one of said catch members by the latch, and a member connected to the latch and said first member to permit the latch to be retracted to effect the release of the aeronautical device.

2. A toy comprising a balloon, a flexible member for holding the balloon captive and provided adjacent the balloon with a loop, an elastic member connected to the ends of the loop, an aeronautical device, means releasably connecting the aeronautical device to the balloon, and means connecting said first means to said flexible member below said loop to permit said first means to be actuated to effect the release of the aeronautical device.

3. A toy comprising a balloon, a member "for holding the balloon captive, a clip secured to the balloon, a catch carried by the clip and embodying a latch, an aeronautical device, means carried by the aeronautical device and engaging the catch and held in engagement therewith by the latch, and a member connecting the latch to said first member to permitit to be retracted to efl'ect the release of the aeronautical device.

t. A toy comprising a balloon, a member for holding the balloon captive, a clip secured to the balloon, a catch carried by the 5. A toy, comprising a balloon, a flexible member for holding the balloon captive, an aeronautical device, a catch releasably suspending the aeronautical device from the balloon, and means connecting the catch to said flexible member to permit it to be 'operated by a pull on said member to eifect the release of the aeronautical device.

6. A toy, comprising a balloon, a flexible member for holding the balloon captive, an, aeronautical device, a catch connected to the" balloon and embodying a latch movable into active and inactive positions and means releasably holding the latch in active position, means releasably connecting the aeronautical device to the latch, and means connecting the latch to said flexible member to permit it to be moved into inactive position through the medium of said member.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature..,

VINCENT BRADY. 

